Happiest Gemini New Moon to you! It's time to set Gemini intentions for the Moonth ahead. Gemini is so many things at once. A Jack of All Trades. A Jill of All Trades. Perhaps we could say a Jackal of All Trades :). Gemini is Trickster, Magician, Shapeshifter, Heyoka Coyote, Don Juan and Donna Juana, Circus Performer, Bard, Court Jester, and Starry Teller. The birds who sing for their supper every night! Gemini is Service to Spirit through Intellectual Pursuit of Truth. Because this quest can lead us in so many directions at once, we can find ourselves lost in the feeling that we can't complete one project before many more begin, but if we allow the river to divide willingly, it comes together again with more experience and a better flow. I combat society's suggestion that Gemini energy is scatterbrained with this mantra: These many branches I'm called to climb all emanate from the same trunk!

There are so many stories that illuminate the Gemini mysteries. One tale is that of the Dioscuri, the Gemini Twins, in which Pollux chose to forgo immortality so that he may spend eternity at his brother Castor's side in death as they had done in life. Zeus tested the Truth of Polydeuces' brother love by telling him he would only be allowed to die if agreed to these conditions: Castor would be in the Underworld of Hades and Pollux would be in the Heavens of Olympus. Save for every year they would switch places and when they did they would be allowed to spend the entire day and night in each others company. "Is this enough for you, young Pollux? Do you agree to suffer the hells of Hades every other year for eternity only to spend one day every year at your brother's side?" When Polydeuces agreed without hesitation, Zeus instead placed the brothers eternally side by side in the sky as the constellation Gemini. But just as all stars of the Zodiac rise and set every day, Castor and Pollux spend half their time in the realms Above and Below. Does this not teach us that to truly unwrap the gifts of the Earth Game we must allow ourselves to break free of the binds that would limit our consciousness to the waking reality of everyday life by seeking experiences in the other dimensions? Perhaps we only become Wholy by walking this Earth while allowing ourselves to journey into the Light Without and Above as well as into the Darkness Within and Below. Ours is a tale of Yang AND Yin.

Another story tells us of Nut and Geb whose great love was not allowed. Ra demanded they be separated all days of the calendar year so Tefnut divided them, making sister Nut the Skies Above and brother Geb the Earth Below. But Gemini Scribe, Magician, and Trickster Thoth answered Nut's pleas through skill and strategy. He defeated the Moon again and again at the sacred game Senet. The payment he demanded for his winnings was that the Moon increase Her powerful Illumination, thereby producing five extra days of the year, days not known to the Egyptian calendar. During these five days, Tut and Geb are allowed to come together to share their love, the very union that brought forth Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Seth.

Perhaps Gemini Magic is most amplified through the Embodiment of Eternal Youth. Stories like Hermes' theft of Apollo's herd and creation of the Lyre as a one-day-old baby illuminate these mysteries, but my favorite is one of the many Hindu tales. The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas tells us "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live." What exactly does this mean? I suggest the word "Elder" has nothing to do with age and that sometimes the Child is the greatest Sage. It is easy to see Magic in the awe of the youth whose creative powers of imagination have not yet been discouraged by the societal rules of the Earth Game.

In the great Hindu epic of the Ramayana, Hanuman wishes to return Sita to her husband Prince Ram. She has been kidnapped by the demon Ravana and taken to his kingdom Lanka that lies on the other side of a great oceanic expanse. Hanuman stares at this great separation of water and laments that he cannot cross it to save Sita. When the wise bear Jambavantha overhears Hanuman's lament, he reminds the Monkey God that he is the greatest magician and he can do anything he wants. This is all Hanuman needed to break free of a boon that had been cast upon him. See, his trickster magic was too mischievous in youth so he was cursed to forget it until he was later reminded. When Jambavantha did just that, Hanuman shapeshifted into a giant and stretched across the great oceanic expanse to save Sita. That she chose only to be saved by Ram is another story entirely... kind of.

Gemini is a month for us to rekindle the creative flames of our childlike wonder. This very awe that does not feel the pressure of society's rules is the source of our greatest Magic. When we release the curse that limits our imagination, we remember we can and do anything we want in this Game called Earth. Gemini's pursuit finds stories shared by the myths of all Ancient civilizations. One such story tells us we were created in the image of Creator. Does this not mean we ourselves are divine Creators? Time for us to allow ourselves the Magic of Manifestation.

First quarter Moon will bring the tensions from VirgoLand. Conflicts arise when we lose ourselves to our many responsibilities, but this poison is transmuted to medicine by Full Moon Illumination from Sagittarius who reminds us that, by Seeking Spirit and allowing intuition, we give our Practice permission to free us rather than bind us. Wisdom flows to us from the Waters of Pisces... the greatest merging with All that Is and the open, empathic heart. Let's come together!

Gemini's Planetary representative Mercury will spend most of this month in Retrograde. The Messenger spins into Cancer as we dream tonight only to hit reverse on June 7th to dance again through his sign of Gemini. This is a blessing not a curse. Retrograde Mercury allows us to release the conscious tethers of the waking world so that we may better connect to the Wisdom of our Other Side. Unification of our halves is the greatest gift of the Gemini Twins. Somewhere I recently read, "to truly unwrap the gifts of the Earth Game we must allow ourselves to break free of the binds that would limit our consciousness to the waking reality of everyday life by seeking experiences in the other dimensions. Perhaps we only become Wholy by walking this Earth while allowing ourselves to journey into the Light Without and Above as well as into the Darkness Within and Below." I guess that was worth repeating :).

To the Trickster! It's time for some serious StarryTelling Magic! Just what will you choose to manifest this Moonth? You will be supported.

A hike on Vasquez Rocks in Aqua Dolce, California last week was just what I needed to release the structure of the city and reconnect to Great Mystery. The unsound television training of my youth once again let me down for the Captain named Kirk was nowhere to be found, but what I did find was much more profound. It would seem ancient star seekers once trekked these grounds.

Synchronicity often streaks through astrological readings I record for clients from these places of power and, sure enough, as I was describing the evolutionary alchemy of Scorpio as the Snake who sheds her skin, I was led to an ancient painting of a serpent.

A neighboring plaque said these pictographs were painted in 500 AD by hunter-gatherers archeologists call Tatavium. I later discovered the local Chumash tribe called them Aliklik, but all I could do at the time was bow to the snake and respectfully say, “I was just talking about you, slick.” Then my attention was urgently drawn to the figure on the far right. "Go directly to Stick Man. Do not pass Thunderbird-Fish-Man-Thing. Do not collect $200."

What was it with Stick Man? Was it that he seemed to be accompanied by a ringed planet? Was it the strange white rakish glyph above that seemed to be painted at a different time? Was it that, on closer inspection, this Stick Man seemed to have four legs? None of the above. It took me a minute, but I realized that this glyph was another synchronicity smiling at my Scorpio rap. I realized that Stick Man could be a different way to draw Scorpius.

The two brightest stars of the Scorpion are Antares (the Heart) and Shaula (the Stinger). If the constellation was drawn by connecting these two stars directly, a relatively straight line would result. You can see how Stick Man overlays quite nicely onto Scorpius.

There is something very special about this Scorpion... its tail points directly to the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. In fact, there are only two constellations of the Zodiac have pointers (the Arrow of the archer and the tail of the Scorpion) and they are both aimed towards Galactic Center. Is this not a demonstrations that the Ancients knew much more than we give them credit for? How could the creators of the Zodiac possibly have known about something that wasn't discovered by modern science until the 20th Century?

Good question, but symbols and myths from civilizations around the globe make this suggestion again and again. Take the Mayan symbol of Hunab Ku, for example. "Modern Maya Daykeeper Hunbatz Men calls Hunab Ku 'The Only Giver of Movement and Measure,' the Universal Consciousness and prime organizer of our Galaxy."

Modern astronomy teaches that there is a super massive black hole found at the center of all spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way. Does the vortex geometry of Hunab Ku not suggest the Mayans were hip to this knowledge?

To believe or not to believe, that is the question. And the best questions cannot be answered. Mayan Monuments, Myths, and Stelae suggest Hunab Ku was located right where modern science knows Galactic Center to be now. If the Mayans knew, and the Ancient creators of the Zodiac knew, why not the Aliklik? If Stick Man is indeed their representation of Scorpius, then perhaps that circle to its left on these Vasquez Rocks pictographs is a marker for Galactic Center.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps I'm just reaching. And television training suggests I might get in trouble for being illogical at the very rocks where the above scene was shot... Bad Vulcan!

Love, Planets, and Mystery,Gemini Brettwww.MoreThanAstrology.com

P.S. - Stick Man might be an Aliklik version of Squatter Man, which was drawn all over the globe and has been reproduced in the laboratory by plasma physicist Anthony L. Peratt. I looked into that mystery a bit during my Songs in the Key of Seas presentation, which you can view here.

Oh what a night. The image above is the Seattle sunset chart for tonight, May 13th, 2014. The actual sunset time is 8:37pm, but fellow students of sacred geometry will know why I couldn't pass on 8:23pm with 21.35 Scorpio Rising. Ah, the mysteries. We are used to reading maps with North at the top, but that's not the deal with an astro map. Up is Up... makes sense, right? From the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun and Planets are always found in the southern sky so these charts reflect a Southern gaze. Therefore, the left side is the eastern horizon, up is up (towards the South) and the right is West. The picture in the center of the chart above is a South-facing view of the Seattle skyline from Gasworks Park.

This picture shows the Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio section of the mysterious zodiac sundial on the peak of Gasworks Park hill. If you find your way there tonight at 8:23, you'll see... me. Then, together we'll see the Moon rise as the Sun sets. Scorpio Full Moon is 12:15pm tomorrow (5/14/14) so tonight, the Moon will rise just before the Sun rests in the West (exact Moonrise is 7:40pm). Something to see, indeed, but that's just the beginning of the stellar show.

Within an hour's time, we will see six of the seven "Planets" that are visible to the naked eye. From West-to-East (or counter-clockwise on the chart above starting with the Sun on the Western horizon) they are: Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Moon, and Saturn. Let's get astrolonautical:

Mercury is approaching his furthest elongation from the Sun. This means the Messenger is almost as bright as He gets. It's not often that we Seattleites are able to see Mercury in the sky, but tonight should be one of those times. Our Mercury mindset is meant to be running at near maximum trickster talents right now. For one, Mercury as at home in the Sign of Gemini, the archetypal carrier of shapeshifter, magician, trickster, circus performer, bard, court jester, Don Juan,... (more about that one month from tonight at Sutra Yoga... Friday the 13th! of June). Mercury has been carrying out-of-the-box Aquarian intellect since He stationed direct in the Sign of Cosmic Consciousness on February 28th. What's more, Mercury is currently "out-of-bounds." This means He is rising and setting further North than the Summer Solstice Sunrise. He's in unchartered territory and Jokers are wild! Time to find truth through the embodiment of eternal youth. I don't want to grow up!

On to Jupiter... the Gas Giant Guru! The brilliant beacon of illumination! I've removed many of the Planets from this chart to emphasize two of this years most significant astrological alignments... both alive now... the Cardinal Grand Cross (Red) and the Grand Water Trine (blue). A Grand Cross is also a Grand Square (shown here in Pink). The Planet's involved beginning with Jupiter at the top-right and moving counter-clockwise: Cancer Jupiter, Libra Mars, Capricorn Pluto, and Aries Uranus. Notice that the Grand Square on this chart is really not too square. That's because it's fading! The Grand Cross peaked on April 23rd around 13.5 degrees of the Cardinal Signs. Since then, Jupiter has sped three and a half degrees forward and Mars has sped three and a half degrees retrograde. The Grand Cross is often called a make-it-or-break-it alignment. They can be pretty damn heavy and last months peak was one of the tightest aligned Crosses in history. I read a million charts and heard all sorts of stories: births and deaths, makeups and breakups, breakthroughs and broken bones. I've called it the mid-sentence exclamation point in the midst of this awakening Shift. Many of us used it to surge ahead. Many of us were used.

That energy dissipates now to be replaced with the Grand Water Trine between Cancer Jupiter, Scorpio Saturn, and Pisces Chiron. This is an alignment of greatest feeling, healing, getting real, and a well deserved rinse with shamanic shampoo. As we open our hearts, we'll open to higher planes of existence and, when we see Spirit, Spirit sees us. As Emerson said, "That only which we have within, can we see without. If we meet no gods, it is because we harbor none."

Notice that the Grand Cross and Grand Trine embrace at Jupiter. In two months, Jupiter will spin His way into the Leo mysteries, but tonight we celebrate the Gas Giant Guru's gift as Cancer Nurturing Mother. This is the Galactic Baby Bottle feeding us cosmic nutrients during this time of great rEvolution.

Mars was reborn as Libra God on April 8th during his biannual Solar Opposition. Tonight He reveals Himself in a night sky dance with Porrima near the shoulder of the Virgin. The ancient astrologers knew Porrima to be a star of greatest prophetic gifts. Modern astronomers know it to be a binary system 38 light years from Earth. This dance continues the ongoing reunion of the Masculine and Feminine. Perhaps emphasized by the current Venus-Mars Opposition.

The main event tonight is a Saturn Occultation. More about that here. In the old stories, Saturn was known for eating his babies. Tonight Luna strikes back! Throughout the course of the night, the Moon will slowly approach Saturn until She swollows the Ringed One completely in the wee hours. Click on the charts above to see the Moon approaching Saturn at midnight, closer at 2:30am, then reaching exact conjunction at 5:01am just after Venus (conjunct Uranus rises in the East). I haven't watched one of these before, but I imagine the Moon will begin Her Saturn-disappearing act around 3:00am. This will be something to see!

Astrologically, Saturn represents the Rules and tonight the Moon will block them from our view and perhaps from our truth. It's time to get trickster! and you are astrolonautically invited to join me tonight for some stellar astronomy, astrology, and constellation Starrytelling. I will also be taking a free look at natal charts (though donations or trades are always appreciated). If you'd like to hear your own tale from the Shamanic Astrology perspective, be sure to show up with your birth time. I can run your chart on my star machine.

See you in Space! or at GasWorks Park in Seattle after 8:23pm tonight.